All that matters
by chocolaterock
Summary: It all started with a game. He wanted to break her, but she was already broken to begin with... Little did they know that everything was connected. AU. SasuHina [Prologue revamped] Slow story.
1. 0 Prologue

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

**A/N**: Read notes at the footnote if there's [#].

This story is still an experiment... I'm not sure if I'll continue it or not. Any insights?

ReVamped 9/10/15.

* * *

**0\. Prologue**

"To see others suffer does one good, to make others suffer even more: this is a hard saying but an ancient, mighty, human, all-too-human principle [...] Without cruelty there is no festival."

― Friedrich Nietzsche

* * *

What a boring day. Onyx eyes watched the blooming cherry blossoms right outside the window. It was the start of spring, and a new school year has started. Although it was a new school year, everything still remained the same.

Sasuke leaned back on the chair, and rested his head back on the support. His eyelids were getting heavy. These past two years[1] of high school was pleasant. Freshman year was entertaining. A common courtesy of the citizens of Hinokoku[2] was to respect their seniors, and he being Uchiha Sasuke, he would only treat those who were worthy enough to be acknowledged; his upperclassmen thought to teach the young Uchiha a lesson, but it resulted with them being under the Uchiha's commands. However, that wasn't enough for the young Uchiha. He wanted more, he wanted power. Then, sophomore year came, and it was thrilling. His fights escalated with other schools being involved, nevertheless, he was victorious.

Some adults were concerned with bodies piling up in the nearby clinics and hospitals, but they do nothing about it since those teenagers were very troublesome. For them, as long 'order' was upheld between the troublesome teenagers and the society, and those teenagers don't attract the attention of the Yakuza, everything was fine that way it was.

The school bell rang. "—don't forget, we'll start on—" His classmates started moving around the class, some left, and some chatted with their seatmates, ignoring what their teacher has to say.

Sasuke let his eyes close for a moment, not before opening to a sharp glare as soon as his fellow female classmates bothered him into eating their homemade bento. Shoving the annoying girls out of his way, hands tucked in his pockets, he proceeded to make his way towards his group's hang out place—the rooftop. After a few more flights of stairs, he arrived at the rooftop.

"Yo man!" One of his friends greeted.

Sasuke ignored his friend, and proceeded to the highest point of the rooftop, and settled himself on the platform. Three figures followed him, and settled themselves beside him. His brunette friend passed him a roll, and he took it.

He puffed in the blunt, and his eyes widened at his friend, smoke coming out of his lips. "This…"

"Is magnificent." The brunette finished. "I know."

Sasuke passed the blunt to his blue-haired friend. He rested his body on the floor, eyes staring at the sky.

"Kiba got it over at Shijima" The blue-haired puffed and passed it to the orange-haired guy. "And rumors don't lie, they do have quality."

Sasuke glared at the brunette. Kiba cringed knowing that glare was 'What the hell were you doing there you dipshit?!'. "It was careless, I know! But no one saw me. I bought it when I was delivering a dog to their owner."

Puffed, and passed.

"You better be sure no one saw you, or I'll be the one to kill you and Suigetsu myself." Sasuke growled.

Puffed, and passed.

"Why am I included?" Suigetsu chuckled.

Puffed, passed, and a snap. Three pair of eyes directed towards the culprit. There he was, black eyes wide open, staring at his phone that was directed towards them. They could tell this boy was a freshman, based on the color of his tie.

"I-It's n-not—" before the boy could finish, he was tackled by Kiba who jumped down the platform. The orange-haired followed, but proceeded towards the cellphone that was dropped. He picked it up and went through it.

"Anything interesting Jugs[3]?" Suigetsu sat at the edge, letting one leg drop over the platform.

Jugo raised the screen towards the platform. The picture was 75% the sky, and 25% was a picture of them passing the blunt, with Kiba and Jugo's face completely visible. "He hasn't sent it to anyone yet." Orange eyes directed towards the figure who still had his back facing them.

Kiba wrapped his arm around the boy's neck, leaning forward in process. "What'cha doing here, Freshie?" Kiba grinned, revealing his k-9 teeth.

"I-it's n-not wh-hat you t-think! I-I was taking a p-picture of t-the s-sky, n-not—"

"Your father's in that stupid neighborhood watch right, Ebisu Udon[4]?" Suigetsu jumped down the platform, and rested his elbow on Udon's shoulder. Kiba's hold around his neck tightened.

"H-h-how d-did y-you—"

"Hey Sasuke, what do you wanna do about him?" Suigetsu directed towards the Uchiha's back.

"Hey freshman," Sasuke shifted his body a little, enough for his head to turn comfortable to the side. He stared at the freshman and smirked. "Wanna play a game?"

* * *

After osoji[5], the juniors gathered at the auditorium. "We are all gathered here today to celebrate our last first day as juniors…" Kiba spread his arms, "…and to release our troubles of our stressful first day!" The students cheered. "And, please give a round of applause to our very own Udon, who volunteered to entertain us, with our game!" The spotlight was on the snot-faced boy. By now, the auditorium was filled with claps and whistles.

"Now, who wants to go first?" Kiba kicked Udon's back down the platform . A few hands flew up. "You there," Kiba pointed at a girl. "Remember rules?" The girl smiled and nodded.

"Level 1. And since you're pretty, I'll make this easy." Kiba winked at the girl. "What's my name?"

"Kiba-kun." She smiled.

"Correct! 10 seconds!" Phones were out and people started taking pictures and recording. And all you can see through their screens was his face, full of snot, begging them to stop.

From the second floor of the auditorium, Sasuke watched. Compared to Level 1, there were more people participating after each level increased. After all, the higher the level, the longer the time limit was. His gaze shifted to Udon who was hovered by the students like starving dogs.

"I remember when the game only belonged to us." His friend tried to reach down, only to be stopped by the railing.

"No one's stopping you Suigetsu."

Suigetsu chuckled. "Well, we already had fun game a while ago… Although you just watched."

"Level 4!" Kiba's voice shouted.

"Looks like _someone's _not appreciating the king's _gift_." Suigetsu sneered. Sasuke knew who he was talking about. That '_Someone'_ was easily spotted through the sea of hands and faces that were so eager to participate.

Onyx eyes continued to watch the lone figure. _She'll eventually join in._ As soon as Sasuke finished, the girl made her way through the crowd. _See_?

* * *

The students' jaws dropped. Kiba's eyes widened, Jugo raised an eyebrow, Suigetsu maniacally laughed, and Sasuke… still maintained a passive look on his face. However Suigetsu, who watched him from the side of his eye, knew that Sasuke was shocked.

The girl, with Udon limping, made their way towards the exit. The crowd parted like the red sea. Everyone stilled. No one dared to make a move. Everyone was brought back to reality with the bang of the door, the students focused their gaze up to where the laughter was coming from.

* * *

"W-what…a-a-are…" Udon coughed, some of his blood splattering on his savior's white uniform. "y-y-you do-..doing?" She didn't answer. With all his might, he pushed himself off her. "T-t-they'll hurt you t-to! Y-you better g-get away—"

The girl rushed to his side. "Don't be stubborn." Her meek yet strong voice made him burst out in tears. In a few steps, which felt like 5 blocks for the injured boy, the two arrived at the nurse's office. As soon as he entered the room, everything went black.

* * *

[1] Junior High in Japan consist of three years (7th, 8th, 9th grade), therefore, high school consist of also three years (10th, 11th, 12th grade).

[2] Hinokoku - Land of Fire, their country.

[3] Jugs – Suigetsu's nickname for Jugo,Udon is a character from the Naruto series. He is Konohamaru and Moegi's teammate. The characters I will use in this story will all come from the Naruto world, I wouldn't add any original character.

[4] Ebisu Udon – Konohamaru and Moegi's teammate. I made his last name Ebisu, because I don't know his last name.

[5] Osoji – After school cleanup.


	2. I Fear

Un-edited.

**I. Fear**

"Fear is the main source of superstition, and one of the main sources of cruelty. To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom." – Bertrand Russell

* * *

Hinata slid the door open to her homeroom. All eyes on her, as with what she pulled yesterday, her first day, it was a miracle they didn't pull any sorts of bullying like they did with the boy yesterday. Hinata held her head high and ignored the stares as she made her way to her desk — window seat, second to the last row. She was resistant to that treatment, to be more precise, she was used to it.

Whispers started to flood the room as soon as she sat down. Perhaps on the first day, her classmates saw her as a good target to bully, since she was meek — a quality typically associated in weak people. She wouldn't be offended if they thought of her as weak person if the had met her a few years ago, but now, it's a different story. She didn't even try to make friends with anyone. Good thing her homeroom teacher didn't make the class to introduce themselves in front of the class, since this was their last year, it's rare for students to transfer in on their last year, so the whole batch knew each other... except for _her._ And, if he did tell them to introduce themselves, Hinata wouldn't, it's not like he can force her to, he was weak. Hinata was taught not to judge others to quickly, but the way her classmates treated him with disrespect, she could tell that even her homeroom teacher was bullied by his own students. _How... pitiful._

After the stunt she's pulled yesterday, they probably saw Hinata as someone weird, or something along that line. Hinata did not care for all that, especially with what they thought about her.

Homeroom plus the first four periods passed by quickly and it was already lunch time. Hinata grabbed her bento and made her way to the empty bench over-looking the field, a place she has been eyeing since third period. By now, Hinata has expected 'the bullies' to make a move by now, or maybe later after she's finished her lunch. But even if they do, she'll be ready for whatever comes her way.

"Itadakimasu." She whispered before digging in. After taking her first bite, she suddenly lost the appetite to finish her food. It wasn't because it badly cooked, but the kaarage she was used to cooking tasted different... Maybe because everything she cooked, she usually ate it with _them_. Her hand dropped on top of her box, this was not the time to think about the past, about _them_. She chose to leave, determined. Now was not the time to back down.

Hinata repacked her lunch. Today seemed like a long day, and she couldn't wait for it to be over.

Fifth and sixth period felt like 4 hours, and 5-minute homeroom felt like forever. Hinata rejoiced as soon as the bell rang, it was a good thing she wasn't part of today's osoji[1]. She hurriedly grabbed her stuff, and practically dashed her way to the shoe lockers.

Instead of her day-old routine, she made her way to a flower shop she found 2 days ago near the bus stop.

Entering the shop, her ears were greeted by a soft chime. Hinata looked around for a brief moment, and her eyes caught the flowers she's wanted to purchase.

"Hi Miss, back here so soon?" A girl that looked a few years younger than her, appeared beside her.

Hinata slightly smiled. "I'll have these flowers." She pointed at her preferred flowers.

"Sure! Want it arranged like last time?" The girl joyfully asked. Hinata nodded. The girl picked a few flowers up and headed to the wrapping station with Hinata following behind. "I have a feeling I'll be seeing you quite often, I'm Akane[2]. What's your name?"

Hinata laughed softly. "I'm Hinata." Hinata was looking around the shop while waiting for her flowers to be ready, and saw some Yarrows. "Akane, I would like a separate arrangement for these, please."

"Sure." It took some time for the flowers to get ready, and every now and then, Hinata kept checking her watch. Akane, who saw Hinata's attention, sped her job. Finishing each arrangement, Akane handed the bouquet of flowers to Hinata. "That'll be ¥12,081[3]."

Hinata handed Akane a couple of bills. "You can keep the change."

"Wow! Thank you. I'll consider it as a tip then!" Akane grinned. "See you."

"See you around."

After 10 minutes of riding the bus, and 15 minutes of riding the train (approximately 8 stops from where she rode), she had finally reached her destination.

The buildings were somewhat isolated from the city. Everything surrounding the buildings were green, probably for patients to feel at peace.

Hinata entered the building and headed to the west wing.

"Excuse me, where can I find the room of Ebisu Udon[4]?" Hinata asked the nurse's station. "I believe he checked in last night." She remembered when she encountered the Nurse from school a while ago.

The nurse looked up his name on the computer. "He's in the common rooms, down that hall to your right. Though he was given NSAIDs an hour ago, so he's probably asleep by now."

"Oh is that so, can you just hand these over to him then?" Hinata handed the Yarrows over.

Hinata made her way back to where she entered to head to the west wing. On the corner of her eye, a familiar black-head just left the hospital. _What's he doing here?_ She thought as she continued her way to her original destination.

* * *

Sasuke woke up from the sound of his front door banging. He growled. Who the in their right mind dared knock on his door, much less disturb his sleep[5]? He's a private person, and lived alone. The only person allowed in his apartment was his guardian — correction, the only one who dared force his way in. _Tch! That old man! _

"What Kakashi?!" The door swung open abruptly.

His guardian barged his way in, settling down in the living room. He made himself comfortable before crossing his leg on top of the other. "You skipped your appointments Sasuke." His voice a little bit muffled by the mask he wore.

"Hn." Sasuke crossed his arms, as he sat down opposite his guardian.

"The kid had to check-in the hospital last night," Kakashi went through some papers, "from bruises, broken ribs, scratches and internal bleeding. His parents are filing a suit." Kakashi through the papers on the coffee table.

"Not my problem. You've been taking care of that since what?"

"We had a deal kid." Kakashi uncrossed his leg, and folded his hands together. "I take care of your problems, let you play around with your friends, and all you have to do is attend those appointments."

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"From now on, I'll be setting up all your appointments. And, seeing that it's lunch time, I assume that you wouldn't go to school today" Kakashi stood up and glanced at the clock. "So I've set up a 2:30pm for you. Be there, or I'll drag your sorry ass down there."

"Whatever. Just go." Sasuke pushed Kakashi out his apartment, but before he could close the door on his guardian, Kakashi caught the door.

"Be careful Sasuke. There's little to what I can protect you from." Kakashi whispered seriously.

* * *

"See you on Saturday Sasuke."

"Hn." Sasuke glared at the doctor, as she scribbled stuff down her notebook.

He exited the room, and turned his phone on, while waiting for the elevator to reach his floor. With his phone reaching its home screen, it kept buzzing. 15 messages and 3 voicemails. _Those idiots!_ Suddenly, his phone started ringing.

"What?!"

"**Man! Where've you been?**" Suigetsu's loud mouth shouted through the speaker phone.

"Somewhere."

"**Anyway, those guys from Otogakure came back to our territory. They beat up some of our guys. You wan' do something about it?**"

"Tch. Those weaklings! Tell Jugo to meet me at the warehouse in an hour, we'll take care of Oto. You and Kiba beat the shit out of those weaklings." He hung up.

Today might actually turn out to be a good day, apart from Kakashi bothering him. He had people to relieve his stress, and the outcome doesn't usually end up with Kakashi cleaning up his mess. Sasuke exited the elevator, and headed towards the vending machine to eat before he commuted back to his local district. With the drop of the omusubi[6], Sasuke grabbed the snacks, unknown to him that someone was behind him.

Two bodies collided, causing Sasuke to drop his omusubi, "Watch it!" He growled, but the foot of the stranger landed on the wrapped omusubi. Sasuke's brow twitched. "What the—"

"Sasuke?"

Sasuke averted his eyes from his squished rice ball to the bucket-hat wearing stranger. "Huh?" The stranger was wearing an orange-striped black tracksuit zipped all the way to the collar covering his mouth, with black wayfarer sunglasses sitting on the bridge of his nose.

"It IS you!" The stranger smacked him on his back. Sasuke slightly cringed. He'd have to sue this guy if he starts spitting blood later on. "It's me!" Sasuke eyed him suspiciously. "Your bestfriend, Naruto!" The stranger took off his bucket-hat and sunglasses revealing bright blonde hair and cerulean blue eyes. Sasuke held out left hand forward, but Naruto grabbed it, hugged him on process. "You still remember me!" Naruto let him go, wearing his bucket-hat and sunglasses again.

Sasuke smacked him on his head. "And you're still an idiot. My money." Sasuke held out his hand again.

"Wha—" Sasuke pointed at his foot. Naruto scratched his head. "Yikes, sorry about that... Anyway I'm hungry, so let's grab something! This might be also a good time to catch up!" Naruto dragged Sasuke off to the hospital cafeteria before Sasuke could respond.

Sasuke sighed heavily while waiting for the blonde to come back. He watched his suspicious friend, or as Naruto described it — his 'best friend' — though he hate to admit it, from the back of his head, then scanned the surrounding area. _Still the same as always..._

Naruto dropped two trays on the table and plopped himself opposite of Sasuke. Sasuke raised his eyebrow at what Naruto ordered for him. "So, what's up?" Naruto asked digging in his ramen bowl.

Sasuke ignored Naruto's question, and started to calmly eat his cold spaghetti with tomato and tuna.

"Wait, you still like tomatoes and okaka[7] right?" Naruto asked. For Sasuke, it was a miracle for this idiot to remember what he preferred, favored, to eat.

"Hn." Sasuke shrugged.

"Good! Good! It's nice to see my best friend eating well." Naruto reached out and patted, smacked, Sasuke's back. Sasuke coughed out some of his food, and glared at the blonde. Naruto raised his brow. "What? Don't want my best friend to grow up all skin and bones."

"So, how're you?" Naruto was already done with his ramen bowl.

Sasuke sighed for the nth time. As much Naruto irritated him, even when they were kids, the both of them looked out for each other. "Hn. You?"

"Exhausted... It's been kinda stressful lately."

Sasuke noticed the cheeriness disappeared from his friend. "Parents?"

"Nah. Other... stuff." Naruto nervously laughed. "They're fine by the way. Though Menma[8]... still has a stick up his ass." Both snickered. Sasuke remembered the younger brother, as opposed to Naruto's hyperactive personality, Menma was the complete opposite. "So what brought you here? I haven't seen you for, what? 9, 10 years? And I haven't seen you around this hospital... Got broken bones or something?"

"Kakashi." Sasuke shrugged his shoulders. "Been skipping, and he caught on."

An 'Oh' was all that escaped Naruto's mouth. He didn't need to pry about it, he knew what it meant. Since _it_ was what caused the unfortunate event that happened to his bestfriend to begin with. "Yikes, speak of the devil." Naruto put his phone back in his pocket, taking out his wallet, to pull out a card and handed it to Sasuke. "Mom's gonna kill me, so gotta go. And keep that! We gotta stay in contact!" Naruto cleaned up his mess, and left.

Sasuke stared at the contact card, then crumpled it, letting it drop on top of his half-eaten meal. After all, the reason why no one knew if he was dead or alive was because he chose to cut all ties with his past.

* * *

Two figures sat across each other, approximately five meters away from each other. No one talked. Faint voices from the students in the field could be heard, with the sound of the broken down AC overtook their ears. The air inside the room was heavy. It was already April, the start of spring; yet in the room, it felt like winter — was it because of the AC? Obviously not. This part of the school building was breaking down.

Sasuke observed the figure in front of him. Pale skin that out-rivaled his own, long dark hair with an outdated hairstyle, prim and proper uniform… and those infamous silver eyes. His eyebrow twitched. "What's a Hyuga like you doing here in my territory?" Sasuke leaned forward, resting his elbows on his thighs.

No reaction, no reply.

Sasuke glared harder at the girl in front of him. How dare she ignore him! "You know," he stood up and made his way towards her, "chaos is prevented by enforcing order." Still no reaction from her. This girl even dared to stare the the black board across from her. He walked passed her, stopping in front of the large window, observing the students outside. "The strong prey on the weak, and only the strong survive. That's how it's always been."

"Survival of the fittest?" She whispered sarcastically.

"Hn."

"Who are you to judge others?" Her voice gradually became louder. "Who are you to decide who survives this small little world you built? You know nothing of the real world." Hinata hastily stood up, knocking the chair down in process. She wanted to leave the room, she was wasting her breath talking to this immature boy. Seconds later, she felt a sharp pain on her back and clavicle. He was pinning her against the wall, using his forearm to trap her.

"What are you gonna do about it?" He applied more pressure on her. "You have no idea what I know, or what I can do to you. You don't like how it is here? Go back to your castle, little girl. This is my territory. You don't belong here."

Hinata winced at the applied pressure. "You're gonna tell the others to beat me up, like what you did with that student? You're just a coward who can't take care of his own problems. Go ahead, I don't care. I know what I did was right, and I don't care about your ridiculous rules. You're just a coward hiding in your little make-shift world." Hinata swiftly slid her palms in between her clavicle and his forearm, successfully pushing him away from her.

Coward? This little girl doesn't know shit about him. He grabbed a handful of hair and pulled her down. Hinata flinched, she could feel her blood pumping throughout her head. "Tch!" He pulled her hair towards him, forcing the side of her head to meet his face. He crouched his head down to her ear and whispered, "Let's see who the coward is, once I'm done with you."

Hinata grabbed his wrist gripping her hair, swiftly ducked down to twist her body to the right, leaving his elbow open to her left side. With his wrist restrained, she used her right palm to hit his left elbow inward. Sasuke immediately released her hair and pushed her away from him. Any more of that pressure on the wrong side would have broken his arm. Sasuke glared at the girl in front of him. Although she was breathing hard, her eyes remain unfazed. "I'm not afraid of you." She snarled and walked out the room, banging the door in process.

The door slid open, and the room was filled with three more three headed towards the vacant chairs around him.

"So... What happens next?" Suigetsu snickered seeing that Sasuke was riled up by that girl.

"Get her files."

* * *

When Hinata was young, her mother taught her that cursing was inappropriate, and apparently, her fellow classmates did not have the luxury of being disciplined by their parents. Unlike before, they did not hold back with their nasty remarks. It was obvious that her classmates wanted their unpleasant comments to be heard. Moreover, her desk was heavily vandalized, contrary to the vandalism that was etched on her wooden desk from the previous days she's owned the desk.

_"Just die!" _Memory fragments flooded her mind.

_I don't care, I can take it_. Hinata did not care about the high school drama these people were looking for, she had...other things to worry about. Yes, other 'important' things, not this. If ever they come after her hard, she can take it. She's not weak. Hinata inwardly laughed, shutting the lecturing teacher out of her mind. Apparently, her perpetrator forces fear upon his victims beforehand, then if things don't go his way, he resorts violence. Hinata grabbed her own collar near her neck, and her heart rate sped up.

It looked like she was grabbing on an imaginary arm that was around her neck, gasping for air to stay alive.

* * *

[1] Osoji - after school clean-up

[2] Akane - One of Naruto's teenage fan girls from The Last.

[3] ¥12,081 = $100.

[4] Ebisu Udon - Konohamaru and Moegi's teammate. I do not know his last name, so I made their team name into his last name. Also, I'll be using japanese name format (last name, first name).

[5] Sasuke's blood type is AB. It's believed that people with this blood type are not morning-people, or are usually in a bad mood when disturbed from sleep.

[6] Omusubi - onigiri, Sasuke's favorite food to eat with okaka and tomatoes.

[7] Okaka - fermented tuna.

[8] Menma - The alternate Naruto in the movie Road to Ninja and Shipuden Ep. 247. Menma will have the same personality as the Menma in Shipuden ep. 247, rather than the one in the movie.

A/N: Don't give in to other people. Do something about it, by telling someone, or just ignore those people (if you're strong enough). The more you let them know you're affected, the more they'll do it.


	3. II Anger

**A/N: Thank you for the Reviews! And sorry if this chapter was horribly written. I'll make it up in the next chapter. :) Don't forget to review :***

Un-beta-ed. Un-edited.

**II. Anger**

"Anger is never without a reason, but seldom with a good one."

– Benjamin Franklin

* * *

Sasuke doesn't trust anyone. Not even his guardian nor his friends. No one. He relies, but doesn't trust.

Among Sasuke's circle of friends, Suigetsu is the most reliable. Most of the time, Suigetsu joked around, he was confident yet arrogant, but when expected, he could be calm and serious. He is someone Sasuke was confident to substitute for himself.

The second person would be Jugo. Jugo was quiet and kept to himself, he followed Sasuke, no questions asked. But during fights, he would be a different person—enraged and bloodthirsty. The only one who could stop him is Sasuke, and although Jugo was strong, Sasuke hated babysitting.

Kiba, on the other hand, was another story. He was more of a dog, though compared to the dogs in his family-owned pet shop, he lacked loyalty. Kiba was uncontrollable and reckless, he often disobeyed Sasuke, and often the root of Sasuke's problems. Nevertheless, Sasuke kept him around—after all, everyone serves a purpose.

So, whenever Sasuke wanted or needed something, it was Suigetsu who got it for him.

"This is all I have." Suigetsu handed Sasuke a folder, taking a seat beside Sasuke.

Sasuke scanned through the papers, then calmly placing it on the floor. Suigetsu couldn't be messing with him. "What's this?" he said, tapping his finger on the folder.

"Her file." Suigetsu sipped on his yogurt drink.

The folder contained her profile and address, and some information from the internet, not the information he wanted. "Where's her actual files?"

"I don't have it."

"Why?"

"Old man moved the student files again… but this time, I couldn't find it." Suigetsu leaned back, using both his hands as support. "I think he found out I made copies of all the freshies' files."

Sasuke sighed. Every start of the school year, Suigetsu made copies of all new student files, meaning the freshmen; and since they've been in school for three years, he would update all existing files, the sophomores and juniors. Since it was rare for transferees to transfer to Konoha High, much less during their last year, Suigetsu did not bother to touch any of the juniors' files. And for Sasuke to act on something, he needed information on who he's against. He opened the folder to the second page. "Do you think—"

Knowing what Sasuke was about to ask, Suigetsu shook his head. "If she was, she wouldn't be here."

Their conversation about the Hyuga ended, and continued with their plans regarding other matters.

* * *

Hinata was peacefully eating her lunch, when the next second her lunch was all over the floor. The person, who she remembered as Kiba, practically dragged her to the rooftop.

And that was how Hinata was currently having a staring contest with the ebony-haired boy who looked down on her. Like their last meeting, it was just the two of them.

By this time, Hinata finally had a good look at the person who continued to bother her. He had jet black hair, pale skin, and those eyes… onyx eyes that seemed to be like an abyss, a never-ending pit. _Uchiha Sasuke… _She recalled her female classmates gossiping about him. From his features, he's undeniably good-looking, probably more good-looking than any other person she's met.

"I told you I'm not afraid of you." Hinata spoke softly.

"Let's play a game Hyuga." Based on Sasuke's tone, Hinata knew it wasn't a suggestion but a command. She's heard that tone all her life.

"No." Hinata didn't come here to play his games. "I don't have time to play your games." For a moment, Hinata swore his eye color changed when light rays hit his face.

"You see," Sasuke jumped down the platform and stood in front of her, scrolling at the screen of his phone. "There are consequences to every action." He showed her his screen—a picture of Ebisu Udon.

White eyes narrowed. As much as Hinata wanted to ignore this guy, she didn't want anyone to get hurt. "Fine."

His lips formed into a smirk.

* * *

The air felt thick in the tiny janitorial closet Hinata was hiding in. She tried to steady her breath as the sound of chimes became louder, then relaxed when the sound gradually subsided when the people left the area.

Hide and Seek[2]. The rules were simple. Within the given time limit, don't get caught by the people with bells. If she gets caught, the person with the bell had the freedom to do anything with her—much like what they did to Ebisu Udon, although in different circumstances. To win, all she needed was to find Uchiha Sasuke till the end of school, then he would leave her be, and even Ebisu Udon would be able to return school and live a peaceful life. If she gets caught by the faculty, or if she doesn't find him till the given time limit, then these games will keep on coming.

Thirty minutes into the game, she was caught by a sophomore with a bell. She didn't think too much of the younger girl, since she didn't want to actively participate in Uchiha Sasuke's game, but when the younger girl pushed her down the stairs, it dawned to her how seriously horrible her schoolmates were. Good thing when she was pushed, she brought her knees up towards her chest, landing on the ball of her feet down. Although due to the momentum, her body was forced to roll forward towards the wall, so she brought her palms forward to stop herself.

Just with the thought of this school housing sadistic students made her grimace. Once given the freedom with no consequences, people turn into monsters. _All of this just to satisfy Uchiha Sasuke's boredom_… she thought.

Sweaty palms slowly twisted the door knob. Hinata cringed in pain. _It must be from that fall_. She held her right wrist as the door creaked open, eyes wandering left and right, checking if anyone was around. Once the hall was clear, she was out of the closet.

Hinata ran stealthily in the two buildings, checking each floor, peeking through each classroom for the sadistic boy. She only had 15 minutes left till the last bell rang, and there were still no signs of the Uchiha. Moreover, she's noticed, in every major hallway she's been in, seconds later, there would be someone right behind her, but once she's reached the connected hallways, they couldn't find her. Then it dawned to her. Hinata peeked at the corner of third floor, leading to a major hallway. There was a camera.

_Of course! What better place to watch someone than the security room! _Hinata ran to the next building's first floor, heading to the security room. However, when she opened the door, the room was empty, except for the screens displaying live-footage.

5 minutes left.

She banged her fist on the door, forgetting the pain that traveled through her arm. _There's no way to win his games._ Suddenly her phone vibrated in her pocket. Checking the message, her eyes twitched, then she slid her phone back in her pocket running to her next destination.

The Principal's office.

* * *

Suigetsu, whose body was sprawled comfortably on the couch, counted down. "10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4—" The door abruptly opened, revealing a panting Hyuga.

The school bell rang.

Onyx eyes narrowed. _How did she—?_ He was watching her for the whole time in the security room, and by the time he's noticed that she's figured out that he was there, he moved to Kakashi's office, which was located in the main building, not the same building as the security room. He saw her check Kakashi's office at the first hour, so unless she knew to check his office one last time… For sure, by the time she's checked each security feed, the time was already over.

"I win." Hearing her say that made him irritated, adding to Suigetsu's mocking laugh.

"Leave." He swiveled the chair to face the window. He heard her whisper, "Stay away from me," before the door closed. His fist clenched tightly.

"From her files to this game," Suigetsu laugh died down. "Someone up there must really favor her."

* * *

Days passed and Sasuke's been more irritated that usual. He was someone who keeps his word, so yes, he hasn't bothered her with his games. But that deal doesn't exempt his friends, specifically Kiba, to do something. Things happened around her, but she had escaped every single one, no bruises nor scratches.

He expected the Hyuga to be bawling her eyes by now, kneeling in front of him, begging for him to stop. But no, she's still attending her classes like nothing's happened. He remembered those eyes when he watched her get surrounded by his pawns, those passive eyes stared at him as if mocking him. The mechanical pencil in his hand broke in to two.

This was the first time he'd taken action against a girl. More or less, lose a game to her. Why? Well usually, girls bow down and kiss his feet, not go against him. Though fan girls annoyed Sasuke, this was more irritating.

The bell rang. Third period was over, he hated the next period, so left. No one cared what he did, since he has the best grades. Even if he was free to do whatever he wanted or pleased, because his guardian is the principal, he would still attend _some_ classes… if he felt like doing so. After all, he needed to graduate from high school to shake Kakashi off his back.

Sasuke headed to the rooftop—his favorite place. The rooftop was where he could overlook what everyone was doing, like tiny little ants working to stay alive. He eyed the class[1] who were occupying the field. _Suigetsu's section, so..._ His eyes scanned through and found the indigo-haired girl.

She wasn't hard to find. The girl was like a mouse, even if she was meek, her presence screamed for attention. He watched Iruka, the gym teacher, called her up since she was heading towards starting line of the long-jump track. One of the girls drew her foot out to trip the Hyuga, and Sasuke assumed that she would fall flat on her face. Nevertheless, Hyuga proved him wrong by collecting herself and adjusting her balance. She didn't spare a look on the girls that tried to trip her, but continued walking to the starting line with her back straight and chin high.

Sasuke's hands tightly gripped on the chain-linked fence. She was seriously getting on his nerves. Even after everything, how could she act like nothing happened? His knuckles turned white. _I'll break you soon, Hyuga._

* * *

Hinata couldn't be happier when the weekend came, it meant that she wouldn't have to deal with the drama her classmates craved for. Her hand unconsciously caressed her bandaged hand. It's been two weeks since that game with Uchiha Sasuke, and although he hasn't made contact with her, his friends and pawns have been on her back non-stop, giving no time for her wrist to fully heal.

So here she was in the middle of the park, trying to let loose of all the stress that had accumulated throughout the week.

Hinata heard an incomprehensible shout before she was tackled[3] to the ground. Seconds later, the big dog kept licking her. She laughed, trying to keep the dog out of her face, while patting its sides.

"Akamaru!" The owner ran to her. "Yikes! He usually doesn't get overly excited with strangers."

Hinata chuckled, dusting off her clothes, and readjusting her bangs underneath the baseball cap that rested on her head. "No worries, your dog's really… um… energetic." She leaned towards the dog, and scuffed his fur.

"H-Hyuga?"

She looked up, her white orbs meeting slanted black ones. Her hand retreated back to her sides, her foot stepping back. _Inuzuka Kiba._

"Uh…" Was all that escaped the brunette's lips, as his eyes traveled around her body. Hinata unconsciously slipped her hands in her pockets, tugging her jacket down to protect herself from the brunettes wandering eyes. She was dressed up in a baggy varsity jacket and black leggings, paired up with mid-calf boots. Her hair was up in a pony tail.

He cleared his throat, cheeks tinted pink. "You look… suspicious!"

They were practically wearing the same thing. Except he had shorts on paired with sneakers. "Suspicious?" Hinata eyed him. He has been picking on her for the whole week, and now he chose to show up during the weekend too? Also, what right did he have to criticize her clothes?

Kiba looked away. "I've never seen you around here! And I'm always here! And you watching those kids with that get-up…" He tried to sneak a glance at the indigo-haired girl, but the girl never took her eyes off him. Blushing that he's been caught, he continued. "Maybe even Akamaru knew you were suspicious that's why he jumped you!"

Akamaru barked at Kiba, then wiggled out of his grip, trudging towards Hinata.

"Wha— Traitor." Kiba muttered.

_So they're also watching me during the weekends? _"Uchiha Sasuke even has you working during the weekends, huh?" Hinata tried to keep the dog away from her.

"Y-YOU—" Kiba threw his first towards her, but she deflected his fist. Akamaru backed away from Hinata and growled at her, sensing danger for his owner.

Hinata icily stared at the dog, then back at Kiba. "Keep your dog on a leash."

* * *

1] Suigetsu and Hinata are in the same section. Though for some reason, Suigetsu cuts class a lot.

[2] Sasuke has a thing for games, you'll know why later. ;)

[3] Excerpt:

Akamaru was a smart dog, probably smarter than Kiba himself. For the past few days, Akamaru noticed Kiba changed. For some days, Kiba would come home irritated basked in his usual sent, and on some days, he would home with a grin on his face, though he would be covered with a different scent. And here he was, staring at his owner, who watched the indigo-haired girl that carried the scent that made his owner giddy. Akamaru, being the smart dog that he was, deduced that his owner liked this girl. Therefore, he took the initiative for his owner to make a move to keep Kiba happy.


	4. III Shōtsuki Meinichi

**A/N: This is dedicated to my readers who've stick with me since I've published this story.**

**To the (possibly) one person spreading hate reviews, if you don't like this story, don't read it. Don't go around spreading hate reviews if you can only do so using a 'guest' review. **

Un-beta-ed. Un-edited.

**III. Shōtsuki Meinichi**

"Our dead are never dead to us, until we have forgotten them."

– George Eliot

* * *

In a blink of an eye, May had passed, and June had come.

Hinata has adjusted pretty quickly within the the three months she'd started to live a _somewhat_ independent life.

Within the past seventeen years of her life, June had been her most dreadful month of the whole year. It was the second month of the summer, meaning it was the hottest month of the year. Hinata hated the scorching sun, much less the heat it radiated. But everything changed two years ago, when she'd met the very person who changed her life––during the hottest day, of the hottest month of the year.

Reaching her stop, hot air slapped her face the moment she got off the train. And after a five minute walk to her destination, her pale skin flushed pink. She entered the hospital with beads of sweat running down her forehead, but she didn't care to wipe it off. She hurriedly headed to the west wing of the hospital, nearly crushing the bouquet of flowers gathered near her chest.

It had been long since she last visited the hospital, which was during the first week of May, the Golden Week. Unlike most of her classmates who had spent their Golden Week to go to the beach with their friends, she spent her week in the hospital––most especially because she did not have any friends in her new school to spend the holidays with. That was fine. She did not come to Taka [1] High School to make friends.

She has established a routine to live her independence accordingly. She woke up at six AM to make herself breakfast and lunch. On weekdays, she attended all her classes like a good student. On Sundays, and after classes on Fridays, she visited the hospital. On Saturdays, she trained for judo. After the day had gone, she ran for thirty minutes. Then, she'd do her homework and study, cook dinner and eat, take a bath, then go to sleep by eleven PM.

The routine seemed exhausting, but she liked spending her leisure hours in the hospital. For her leisure hours was limited by her guardians, allowing her to do what she freely liked, for seven hours of no disturbance in a total of eight days each month. Therefore, she always chose to spend it on Sundays and Fridays at the hospital.

Independence was once what she had craved for. She'd dreamt of a completely normal life, surrounded by the people she loved. Yes, she was now living a life away from her family, but every day she lived her independence was determined by her family. She did not transfer to a completely different school, and live in a different environment for the sake of putting her family background behind her. No, this was her punishment.

It was her punishment for the decisions she made on her 17th birthday. Every incident in the past three months_, _be it the mishap with the Uchiha, or the bullying at school_,_ was her retribution.

Hinata stopped in front of Rm 327. Her selfishness led to the current state of the person on the other side of the door. It also led another to welcome death earlier than expected.

* * *

"NO!" Sasuke shouted, breathing heavily as panic overtook over him. He opened his eyes, but quickly shut them as bright lights blinded him.

His heartbeat pounded loudly in his ears, but the screams in his nightmare outdid the sound of his heartbeat. Morbid images were still fresh in his mind, as if he'd been surrounded by fire just a minute ago.

He clumsily reached for the pills tucked away in a drawer near his bedside, knocking the lamp down from the table. He hurriedly opened the lid, popping the pills into his mouth, and rinsing it down with water. He didn't bother to check how many pills he drank, he needed the screams and nightmares to go away... To to sleep this horrid day away. He needed to... or he might just have to take a different route, to end his nightmares.

After a few minutes, his ragged breathing calmed down. The images slowly blurred from his memory. But, everything was too calm for his taste.

Suddenly, he heard a loud knock in his front door. "Sasuke!" He heard, followed by a second knock that was louder than the first one. It was Kakashi.

Sasuke drunkenly got up from his bed, heading towards the front door. But before he could reach the door knob, darkness consumed him, followed by a dreamless sleep.

* * *

"––Oh, and a model transferred in two weeks ago. Hm... What's her name again?" Hinata eyed the bouquet she'd brought. "Sakura! Yes, Haruno Sakura! She's very pretty, like Ino. I guess she's nice too, since almost everyone wanted to be friends with her. And... she likes Uchiha Sasuke." Hinata scrunched her face in disgust, leaning her chin down to the bed. "I wonder what she saw in him. He's a horrible person. Poor girl."

The hospital bell rang. Hinata's eyed the clock that had both hands pointed at upwards, it was noon time. She stood up from her chair, then ran her hands to smoothen the wrinkled sheets in front of her. "I'll be back, okay? I will just grab something to eat." She said, but there was no response. She leaned in and kissed the forehead of the unconscious person, before leaving the room.

After eating a meal in the cafeteria, she made her way back to Rm 327. Walking through the hall she'd passed 30 minutes ago, she abruptly stopped when she'd seen a familiar person.

"Principal Hatake?"

The white-haired principal looked up. He looked worn out. The handsome features she'd seen observed, when she first met the young principal on her first day, were not evident, as tired lines marked his face.

"Ah, Hyuga-san." He said in a whisper.

"Are you okay? You look unwell."

"No, no. I'm fine, I'm just resting for a few minutes." Kakashi stood up abruptly, when his watch sounded an alarm, but almost lost his balance, if Hinata hadn't caught him.

"You need to get checked up, sir. You're obviously not feeling well." Hinata sat him back down to the bench he occupied seconds ago.

Kakashi massaged his nose bridge, "I can't. I'm watching over someone."

Hinata glanced at the room number plastered on the wall. 'Rm 305 - Uchiha S.' She stretched her neck to peak through the small glass window, exposing the an unconscious figure hooked up in various machines and an IV. "I'll..." She cleared her throat. "I'll look after him, sir. You need to rest, even for a few minutes."

"No Hyuga-san. It's my responsibility to––" Kakashi fell forward to the floor.

"Nurse! Nurse!" Hinata crouched low to reach the level of her school principal.

A passing nurse immediately came to their side, while another brought a hospital bed. The two nurses hoisted the unconscious principal to the hospital bed.

"What happened?" The male nurse asked.

"We... we were talking, then he just fell unconscious."

"We'll take of him little miss." The nurses rolled him away.

Hinata glanced back at the room plate, with Uchiha Sasuke's name. _What's he doing here anyway?_ When she'd come in the room, a bitter sour smell greeted her. Ignoring the smell that disgusted her, she walked over to his bedside, ignoring the clipboard that held his record.

The smell became stronger when she had taken the chair near Uchiha Sasuke's bedside. She'd figured the smell was from vomit. Reaching for the wipes, she wiped the dry vomit stain from his mouth.

Hinata watched his chest go up then down, then her eyes travelled to his face. Uchiha Sasuke was undoubtedly beautiful, like Adonis reincarnate. But his _beauty_ was to feminine for her taste. _No wonder Haruno Sakura likes him_. She swiped the lost strand of hair back to its place, accidentally running her fingers across his forehead.

Sasuke's eye lids stirred, slowly blinking them open. Hinata pulled her hand back, as if she had touched something hot. She turned to leave the room, not wanting him to question her why she was here in the first place.

"Nii-san?" His voice croaked.

Hinata's eyes widened, whipping her head back to face him. Uchiha Sasuke was crying.

"Don't leave, Nii-san..."

* * *

June was his older brother's birthday month, and since his brother was his favorite person, June has been Sasuke's favorite month.

A 12 year-old Itachi walked through the long hall separated by sliding shōjis, hand-in-hand with a chatty 7 year-old Sasuke, who was telling on Namikaze Menma. Itachi's footsteps echoed softly against the wooden floor boards––opposed to Sasuke's that pit pattered, with a pace quicker to match the long strides of his brother.

"He said that he has the best brother." Sasuke squinted his eyes. "So I ruined his ice cream. And told him that I have the bestest brother of all the brothers all over the world!"

Itachi chuckled at Sasuke's childishness, as he ruffled his little brother's inky hair. "That's not nice, Sasuke. The Uzumakis [2] might not let Naruto come over next time, if you keep arguing with Menma. You'll have no one to play with."

"T-that's... That' fine!" Sasuke pouted. "Nii-san will always play with me! Won't you?"

Itachi stopped walking, and before Sasuke could react to what Itachi was about to do, Itachi flicked Sasuke's forehead.

"Nii-san!" Sasuke gave a mean look to Itachi, who seemed unfazed by Sasuke's look.

"Of course I will always play with you. But," the two brothers reached Sasuke's room, "if you're not nice, you might not have any friends. Friends are important like family." Sasuke climbed in his bed, while Itachi tucked him in.

"But..." Sasuke thought of his older brother's guests on his birthday party a while ago. "Nii-san hit Kisame too. Hitting is not nice."

Itachi smirked at his little brother's wittiness. "Kisame's a different story. You'll understand when you get older. But still, no hitting, and be nice to your friends."

Sasuke put his sheets over him. "Mkay!" He grumbled through his covers.

"Good night Sasuke."

"Hmph!" Sasuke turned to his side, trying to ignore his big brother. He heard Itachi laugh, then his bedroom lights were off. Sasuke smiled to himself, planning how he'd spent the next day with his dearest old brother.

* * *

Sasuke woke up when he felt his whole body dampen. Onyx eyes peered through his small lids, trying to see what was going on. His vision was strained, due to the heavy smoke that clouded his sight, and the bright orange hues that flickered in every corner of his perception. Taking a big breath in, he suddenly coughed, feeling the smoke damaging his lungs.

"Sasuke? Are you okay?" He heard Itachi's muffled voice. Then he sensed his brother's head move, followed by a grunt. Sasuke felt a wet fabric over his mouth, in which he tried to remove. "You need it Sasuke. Keep your nose covered." Itachi's voice was clearer.

After a few turns, they had reached the outer grounds of their house. Sasuke felt a cooler breeze kiss his skin, opposed to the torrid feeling he felt inside. Itachi suddenly dropped to his knees in the pond, with Sasuke in tow. Now fully awake, Sasuke looked around. The dull and quiet Uchiha compound he'd always known, was now crackling with red orange flames, and the environment howled agonizing screams.

The scene before him was straight out of a horror movie his parents barred him from watching, and it frightened him to his very bones. Tears started to pool out of his eyes, blurring his vision.

"Nii-san..." He hiccuped.

Itachi's body had cooled down from the heat he experienced in their home. "I have to go back Sasuke." He unwrapped the semi-wet blanket from the body of his little brother, soaked it in the pond, and wrapped it around his body.

Tiny hands grasped the blanket. "D-don't... leave... me... Nii-san." Sasuke croaked.

"You have to stay here. I have to go back for mother and father." Itachi pulled his little brother's body into a tight hug. Then proceeded to unhook the necklace around his neck, shoving it into the tiny hands of his brother. "I'll be back, I promise. Just stay near the water Sasuke."

Before Sasuke could say anything, his big brother ran back into the burning house, without a second look back. Sasuke waited, hoping his brother was on his way back. But the longer he waited, the more evident the agonizing screams got. He cried louder, trying to drown the noise with his own. However, it did not work.

Time had passed, which felt like hours for the young Uchiha. When the fire had eventually died down, and the howls seemingly reduced, his own cries tamed down. With groggy eyes maintained to the path Itachi had taken, exhaustion took over his worn out body, and darkness consumed him, not before seeing figures dash into his charcoaled home.

* * *

A familiar sensation tingled Sasuke awake. Slowly prying his heavy lids open, a sudden headache pounded his head, which felt like the pressure crushing his brain.

There was a figure in front of him. "Nii-san?" Was he dreaming? He doesn't know. He just hoped his nightmare stayed a nightmare, rather than _it_ a memory, hoping that the figure in front of him was indeed his brother. The figure stood up. "Don't leave, Nii-san..." He didn't want it to end yet.

He felt a burning sensation in his throat, and before he could say anything else, he'd tasted the sour liquid that accumulated near his mouth. In a swift move, the figure placed a basin in front of him, allowing him to freely rid of his vomit.

Successfully expelling the nasty taste, he'd welcomed sleep once more.

* * *

After Hinata had wiped the Uchiha's face once again, she disposed the vomit in the bathroom. She stared straight into the mirror that reflected Uchiha Sasuke's worn-out figure.

Before she'd met Uchiha Sasuke, there were two other times she'd met another––Uchiha Itachi. The first time was when she was around 5 years old, her mother had died from giving birth to her younger sister. She was crying alone, and he'd comforted her, mentioning how she reminded him of his younger cry-baby brother. The second time was when she was 6 years old, the Emperor had passed and the whole country was in grieving. She was lost in a sea of unknown people, and he found her, and took her back to her parents.

She'd hoped to see him more often, as she'd grown attached to him in a short period of time, for he was a big brother she'd always wanted to have. But she'd heard Uchihas had died, leaving behind one sole survivor. She expected her father to bring her to the wake of the Uchihas, like how he'd always bring her to similar events, but he did not.

Hinata walked back to his bedside, with her thoughts revolving around the Uchihas. Suddenly, her eyes widened with realization. In this very day, ten years ago, marked the lost of the Uchihas. It was such a devastating tragedy, that led journalists to form conspiracy theories, for there were no hard evidence as to who started the fire that wiped a whole clan in one night.

June 9 was Uchiha Sasuke's own personal tragedy.

* * *

[1] Taka High - the school they are attending

[2] Uzumaki - Both Naruto and Menma are Namikazes, since Kushina married Minato. There'll be an explanation to this in the future chapters.


End file.
